


What I've Done

by MagieFish



Series: Imagineered Abominations [19]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: First Person, Gen, Joey is a jerk, Warning: Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-08-23
Packaged: 2019-07-01 01:23:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,889
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15763728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MagieFish/pseuds/MagieFish
Summary: The studios money was on strain and Grant was burnt out and tiredHe did not need to see this





	1. What I've Seen

_10th May 1938_

The studios money was on strain and I was burnt out and tired. I did not need to see this. There bodies lay everywhere, eyes dead and empty, staring off at some unseen thing. The papers once held in my hands floated to the floor, their information swallowed by ink. Blood pooled on the floor, stabs wounds apparent on all but one. She hung limp from the ceiling, mousy hair covering her face. Mark was nearby, face down on the floor, next to a fallen chair. I collapsed to my knees, tears streaming down my face. This can't be happening.  **It can't.** I see a piece of paper laying on the floor, writing written in the fluent handwriting of Casey. I reached out and held it so hard the corner crumpled.  _To whoever finds this,_ It said, Casey's calm voice echoing through my head _We cannot go on. We have seen something awful, a mockery of the things we have built here. We know the truth. You must leave before you too perish_ I'm shaking uncontrollably, my stomach twisting around and around in knots as I read the next part  _Jack Fain, Norman Polk, Susie Campbell, Sammy Lawrence, The band, Thomas Connor and Bertrum_ _Piedmont never resigned. They were murdered. Before you are our bodies. We did this as an act of defiance. We will not let a man like Mr Drew control out fates and torture our souls for eternity. Leave now, before he gets you._ The paper drops from my sickly pale hand as my upper body falls forward.  _Signed, R &D. _

I scream.

I bang my fists on the ground and scream at the top of my lungs, as loud as I can. I close my eyes and feel water run down my face in waterfalls. I've never cried like this. I don't cry. But I can't help it. I can't. I know that right in front of me hangs the body of Lavender. She brought me coffee every single morning, she brought everyone coffee. And yet here she is with a broken neck, the blood of her friends on her hands. Of course she'd go last. She was always selfless. Completely selfless. I hear footsteps behind me as my scream comes to an end, my throat raw allowing me to only make guttural weeping sounds. I feel a hand on my shoulder and through teary vision I look up. And there he stands. The man responsible for these people's deaths. He's staring me in the eye. He yanks me to my feet. He glances at the dead bodies.  **There's no** **emotion in his face. A second. A second is all it took to look at them. He doesn't react. He just looks like he sees it everyday. He probably does. He looks back at me and holds me close. I can hear him whisper in my ear.**

"If you tell anyone about this, I will make sure your death is long and painful. You got that Mr Cohen?" 

I swallow. My throat is clenched tight. I nod slowly. He lets go. He doesn't smile. He leans down and picks up the message before tearing it up, piece by piece. Slowly, so that I can see. He points to the door. I turn and walk out, almost robotically. My head is down. I can hear him cutting the rope. He has knife on him.  **He always has a knife on him.** I leave Research and Design, but it's sights stick with me.  _If you tell anyone about this_ I feel my fist clench  _I will make your death slow and painful_ He said they resigned. **Liar. How manY pEople haS He kilLed? Why did they kill themselves. They could've told us. They could've done it in person. We could've taken him down. But now ThEy'Re dEAd. AND theirs nothing I can do. Nothing I can do. Nothing I can do. Nothing I can do. Nothing I can do. _Nothing I can do. NoTHinG I CAn dO._** I sit down In my chair and close my hands upon the arms. From the depths of my coarse throat, I let out a small laugh. An empty hollow laugh. I can't tell anybody. I can't tell anybody what I've seen. Nobody will know. Nobody will know they're dead. I break into coughing as the laugh damages the inside of my throat. I look to the inkwell nearby. I pick up a fountain pen and begin to write.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What?! Two uploads in a row!? What witchcraft! I'm not going to posting for the next two weeks though as I'm going to France.
> 
> Also, Sorry for putting you through that.


	2. What I’ve Heard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Murray hears something he shouldn’t.

_16th May 1938_

Yet another pipe is fixed up. I wipe the sweat from my brow and stand up. Ever since Lacie’s rejoined the mechanics things have been going a bit smoother. Wonder how she’s dealing with the R&Ds resigning. I mean, all of them at once? Looks like Bendy lands not going anywhere. Sad really. I liked the look of the carousel. I pick up the tool box and walk away. Wonder where the next leak is. I check my watch. Looks like it’s time to start up the flow. I open the exit and begin to climb up the stairs. They stretch the length of the entire studio. Up and up I go, higher and higher. By the time I reach the top my knees are weak.  Black splashes sound through an empty hallway. Echoing. I can hear the distant sound of Nya shouting at someone. My whole vision blurs as I am yanked to the side by a pair of hands. I find myself staring into a pair of sapphire eyes that start to move about surveying the area.

”G-Grant?”, I stutter, “What’s going on?”

He puts a finger to my lips and grabs my hand.

”Can’t talk here, not safe.”

He drags me away leaving my toolbox behind. Half of me is telling to pump out some ink, but the other half wants to stay with Grant. I haven’t seen him in days. He’s been locked up in his office, not speaking to anyone. We haven’t been in contact for ages. The last time we made contact was when I had to fix the pipe in his office. And he just kind of......stared at me. It was creepy. Jasmine told me that she found him curled up in the hole in the wall, and when she approached him he screeched at her like a wild animal. I’m worried for him. We stop in a dark hallway. I can’t hear Nya shouting anymore. His wide eyes look around once more before meeting my brown ones. 

“G-Grant, what’s g-going on?”, I ask, trembling.

Th intensity of his stare is offputting. He takes one more glance around before whispering.

”R&D didn’t resign.”, He said softly, “They all committed suicide.”

I stared at him in shock and horror. He didn’t seem at all stable, dark shadows beneath his eyes, suit dishevelled. But, it would explain the sudden dissapearence. Reaching into his shirt, Grant removed a battered piece of paper, held together by sellotape. I take it and read it. My and shakes. I read it again. I don’t want to believe it. But it couldn’t have been forged. It falls to the floor and I slowly look up, tears brimming at the edge of my vision. 

“T-They’re all dead? Every l-last one of t-them?”

Graht nods. I burst into tears and magainst my better instincts, find my arms wrapping around the madman. I feel tears streaming down my face uncontrollably. **It can’t be true. It can’t be. No. No no no no no no no. Thomas, The band, no. They can’t be dead. They just can’t be. They wouldn’t leave us. No. They didn’t leave us. It was Joey. _Joey killed them. JoEY WiLl PAy._**

“Gentlemen am I interrupting something?”

I look up and see a **him** at the end of the hallway. He’s holding my toolbox and **smiling**. Grant recoils and hides behind me. I wipe tears from my face and put on my best smile.

”No Mr Drew, I just got some ink in my eyes.”

”Well, you best hurry up. The machine won’t run itself.”

And with that, he was gone. I feel Grant clinging to me as I try to leave. I try to push him away, but he just grips harder. 

“G-Grant I have to work and so do you. Or he may off us t-too.”

Yet again, I try to walk but he yanks me back. 

“Don’t leave me.”, I can hear his voice breaking and feel his fingernails digging into my shoulder, “Please don’t. He’ll get me. He told me not to tell what I saw. He knows Murray, he knows!!! He’ll kill me! Please.....please don’t....please.”

I feel another tear roll down my cheek. I turn back to him and put one hand on my shoulder. Another clutches my cardigan, trying to burden it with my pain. It only results in me hurting my hand.

”Listen, once the day is done, we’ll go to the police with the note. A-And then he’ll g-get sent t-to j-jail. E-E-Everything will b-be f-fine.”, I swallow, my throat closing up.

I can’t be reassuring anymore. It won’t work. **He won’t leave. He’s too scared. I’m scared too. He’s in danger. We’re all in danger.**

“Y-You can come with me.”, I gave in, and he nudged even closer to me, “B-But don’t disrupt my work.”

And we walked off together, Grant clinging to my arm for dear life. I couldn’t help but feel like someone was watching us. But that’s silly. **Joey walked away. He can’t be watching us. EVerYtHinG iS fINe.**


	3. What I’ve Said

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shawn says something he definitely shouldn’t have.

_6th December 1938_

The brush glided over the surface of the toy, forming the last one in the mouth. Putting the doll to the side, I stood up and left the room. It was finally time for my break. I walked through the dumb Alice Angel room and through the couch corridor. It was unusually quiet. A lot of people have been resigning lately. Including Jasmine. The jagged hole in the wall gave way to corridor of pulsing machinery that screeched and thumped in my ear like a wild animal. I just don’t get why she resigned. Everything was going fine, she was paid well. Not much happened in our department apart from that one argument between me and Joey. And Grant...I let out a sigh as I descend the stairs of Level K. Joey didn’t treat him well. But he just disappeared. He hasn’t spoken to me in ages...I should check on him. And Murray too. He just left. Lots of people just leave. I press the lift button and go down. The lift stops and I get out and start to walk towards one of the rooms. My hand goes forward for a doorknob before recoiling. I’m not allowed in here. I can’t go into here. Screw it. I open the door and step inside. The walls are covered in mad scribbles and one of those tape things lies on the table. I sit down in the chair. It’s cold. Grant should be here and I should be standing. Murray will be over in the corner remarking about the massive hole in the wall. It shouldn’t be like this. It shouldn’t. I look over at the tape. A strange pot of ink I should bubbling and spitting nearby. I reach out for the recording and press play. I am greeted with a sudden guttural screaming, glass breaking. I lean closer, thinking that it may just be an audio problem. I freeze when I clearly hear a man’s voice. This is no audio problem. This is real. There’s a sicking thud and a dying breath. Silence. Click. The recording goes silent. I can only hear my own heavy breathing. What the hell was that?! Why was Joey there?! My finger taps the table furiously fast. Was that Grant screaming? I mean, he resigned. It can’t be him. It didn’t sound like him. But who else could it be....Was he...murdered? I get up and start pacing around the room, my heart beating fast. Tons of people have been resigning lately. They could’ve all been killed. They haven’t been in contact with close friends or family, they leave without notice. Oh god, **he’s a killer, isn’t he? But where would he keep the bodies?** I rack my brain for a spot Wally wouldn’t have seen, that no one would pass through or enter. The cavern! Shawn got up and started running at high speed toward the Archives. His heart was pounding in his ears, his body was filled with adrenaline from building fear. He opened the door and-

“Oh, hello Shawn.”

I stop. Lacie slides the book she was reading back into the shelf. Her hair is a mess and she has dark shadows beneath her eyes. She gives me a weak smile.

”Hello Lacie.”, I say, aware of how jittery my voice is, “How are you?”

”Well, I could be better.”, She answered, giving an empty chuckle afterward, “Why in such a rush? I thought it was break. In fact, why are you here? Not many come into these archives.”

I meet her eyes and she gestures to the table at the centre of the room.

”Care to join me?”

We walk over and sit down. I tap my finger on the table, waiting for an opportunity to leave. Lacie takes a sip of her coffee and wipesaway the remainder on her sleeve. 

“It’s been so quiet lately.”, She says.

”I’ve noticed.”, I reply, eyeing the door.

She follows my gaze before looking back at me.

”You’re not trying to go in there, are you? Mr Drew strictly labelled it off limits.”

”Who gives a f*** about what Mr Drew has to say.”

She raises an eyebrow before sighing and leaning back.

”Well, the studio is falling to pieces. I was thinking of moving away to get another engineering job. I know Drew won’t let me go until this studio falls apart-“

On instinct, I slam my fist on the table, looking Lacie dead in the eyes. She stares back, not mad or upset, just empty.

”What is wrong with you!?”, I yell, Lacie remaining silent, “The Lacie I know wouldn’t just sit here, she would be out there, getting a job without a damn about what Drew said!!! And what happened to calling him Joey?!”

Lacie stares at me for a few seconds. She raises her cup and puts it back down. She gets up, wiping the last of the coffee from her face and walking away. 

“Oh come on Lacie!!! Why are you walking away!? Lacie! Lacie come back.”, I watch as she leaves the room, and find myself getting to my feet, “Lacie. Lacie don’t go. Please.”

She looks over her shoulder before turning away. The door closed, the sound echoing through the room. I slump back into the seat and wipe a tear from my eye. A hand grabs my heart and squeezes it tight, telling me to cry, to feel bad, **to give up.**   _What was I thinking. I’ve pushed the only person left away from me. And Drew being a murderer, ha. I’m going mad. There’s nothing left here for me. I should just get up and leave. So why can’t I?_ I freeze as I hear a door screech on its hinges and look up. The hand grabbing my heart moves to twist my stomach in dread. Standing there, watching me, is Joey Drew. His grey eyes are fixed on me with an intense gaze. He doesn’t  look mad. But I feel strange. Why? I watch as he walks towards me. It wasn’t right, his walk. It was slow and calculated. He comes to halt in front of me. still watching, standing silently. I shift in the chair, whishing I could look away from those eyes, but am unable to.

”Hello Mr Drew. What is it that’cha want?”, I look down to see that his hands are behind his back, “I’m on my break by the way.”

Joey tilts his head. Staring at him has made me realise that he isn’t meeting my eyes, but instead looking at the top of my head. I feel my grip on the chair tighten.

”Mr Drew ple-“

”Tell me Shawn, do you know what happens to people who break the rules?”, Joey says, moving a bit closer, “To those who don’t care, who go blathering on about stuff they shouldn’t?”

I swallow, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat. Mr Drew is weird, but not this sort of weird. Now he’s just scary. Every instinct in my body is screaming to run, but I hold myself in position.

”They cut a pay cut?”

He seems to twitch, almost angrily. But the way he’s speaking. It’s so monotone, so blank. Has the devil crawled out of hell and into his skin? 

“No Mr Flynn.”, He’s so close now, I can feel his breath on my face, “This happens.”

His muscles move and he leans back. I look up, eyes wide, body getting ready to run, arms raised, something steel glints in the lamp light, coming down, fast, legs muscles move tighten, body moves forward, something hits my skull, nerves scream in agony, cuts through muscle, skull shards scattering, and-

**Gone.**


End file.
